Arsenal travel to face Manchester City with their Premier League title hopes hanging in the balance. For manager Mikel Arteta, this clash could define not just their season, but his enduring legacy at the club.

It’s a question every club must confront sooner or later — is the current manager extracting the maximum possible from his players, or could someone else achieve more with the same group?

Such dilemmas often only become clear in hindsight, after a managerial change either propels a team forward or sends them backward. Still, several Premier League sides are currently wrestling with this uncertainty.

For instance, is Eddie Howe simply constrained by a Newcastle United squad stretched thin by the demands of Champions League football, or does his current campaign suggest he’s reached his ceiling? Is Arne Slot struggling for ideas, or just navigating a transitional phase at his club? Yet the most complex case of all is Mikel Arteta’s at Arsenal.

There’s no debating that Arsenal are in a far stronger position now than when Arteta took charge in 2019. At that time, the Gunners had finished fifth, sixth, and fifth again before dropping to eighth in each of Arteta’s first two seasons. Just ask Manchester United — and Liverpool before them — how difficult it is to climb out of such a rut.

Since narrowly missing out on the top four in 2021/22, Arsenal have become consistent title challengers. This campaign marks their fourth consecutive top-two finish.

The concern, however, is that if they stumble again against Manchester City on Sunday, their record could read second, second, second… second.

There comes a moment when that simply isn’t enough anymore — and Arteta now stands at that pivotal juncture.

Arsenal led the Premier League for all but three weeks of the 2022/23 season before losing critical ground to City in late April. They were more easily forgiven in 2023/24, winning all but two of their final 18 games only to be edged out by an almost flawless City side. Last season, though, they faltered badly, never managing more than three consecutive league wins.

Two draining near-misses against a treble-winning City, followed by a disappointing season, is understandable. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool endured a similar cycle not long ago — and few supporters now criticise the German for it.

The difference is that Liverpool eventually crossed the finish line. After pushing City close in 2019 with a record 97 points, they came back stronger the following year to lift the title.

Arteta hasn’t yet earned that same goodwill. He stands delicately poised between being recognised as the man who finally delivers glory or being remembered as the one who perpetually fell just short.

Some neutral observers — and even sections of Arsenal’s own fanbase — argue that Arteta’s footballing philosophy is partly to blame. His team is tactically disciplined and arguably the most well-rounded in the league this season, yet at times they appear overly cautious and tense. Should they lose to City again, that lack of freedom will surely be cited as a key factor.

The tricky part is determining whether Arsenal have led the table this long because of Arteta’s methods or despite them.

Supporters of Arteta point out that Arsenal have lacked a prolific striker this season. Star signing Viktor Gyokeres has scored 12 league goals — respectable, but far from elite.

Across the pitch, goals have been scarce. Bukayo Saka has six league goals; Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, and Kai Havertz have combined for just six more, not helped by persistent injuries.

Given that, Arteta’s pragmatic tactics make sense — focus on control, defensive stability, efficiency from set-pieces, and distributing goals across the squad.

The best model for that approach comes from Jose Mourinho’s first Chelsea tenure, when Frank Lampard topped their scoring charts with 13 and 16 goals in back-to-back title-winning seasons (2004/05 and 2005/06).

However, critics contend that Arsenal’s lack of regular scorers stems directly from Arteta’s tactics.

Many of those same players have been more productive in past seasons. While injuries explain part of the decline, the overall drop in output is telling. When almost an entire squad sees a dip, the manager’s system must be scrutinised.

Recent history offers examples of title-winning sides who succeeded without a traditional striker. Between 2019/20 and 2021/22, Premier League champions featured non-strikers as top scorers — Mo Salah (19), Ilkay Gundogan (13), and Kevin De Bruyne (15). None of those teams were accused of lacking attacking ambition.

As always in football, the outcome determines the verdict. If Arsenal secure the title, criticisms of Arteta’s style will evaporate — success will have justified his methods.

But should they fall short again, Arsenal’s hierarchy may question whether loosening Arteta’s tactical grip slightly could have made the difference. At the top level, even a few points can be decisive.

In football, there are managers who win trophies and those who lay the groundwork for others to do so. There’s no shame in either, but Arsenal have long believed Arteta would belong to the first group.

Sunday’s clash with Manchester City will go a long way towards revealing whether that faith was justified.